The Change MakerAshoka founder Bill Drayton speaks on the power of turning simple ideas into action. Read down to see what he says about empathy and the power of change. These are words to take to heart.

How Couples Recover after an Argument Stems from Their Infant Relationships
People who were more securely attached to their caregivers as infants were better at recovering from conflict 20 years later. This means that if your caregiver is better at regulating your negative emotions as an infant, you tend to do a better job of regulating your own negative emotions in the moments following a conflict as an adult.

Falls from Cribs Injure Dozens a DayA crib should be a safe place to leave an infant, but every day dozens of babies are injured in falls from cribs, according to what may be the first study focusing on nonfatal crib-related injuries in children younger than 2.

Honor Your Mother ... and Support API!

Mother's Day Is Coming Up!Give Charity Gift Cards from CharityChoice and help API at the same time!
Turn your gift-giving into philanthropy for Attachment Parenting International. Cards are 100% tax deductible and are just like commercial gift cards. Both plastic and e-cards are available.
CharityChoice Gift Cards will benefit API (75% is predesignated) and the charities your gift-recipient designates (25%). Your gift-recipient is presented with a list of over 150 charities to choose from, including a banner with API as the "Featured Charity."
Perfect for birthdays, business gifts, holiday giving, condolences, and wedding gifts ... Click here.
It's a unique gift idea!

Prepare for Pregnancy, Birth, and Parenting

Scheduled Deliveries Raise Risks for Mothers ...
Do Not Benefit NewbornsInducing labor without a medical reason is associated with negative outcomes for the mother, including increased rates of cesarean delivery, greater blood loss, and an extended length of stay in the hospital, and does not provide any benefit for the newborn, according to a new study. As the number of scheduled deliveries continues to climb, it's important for physicians and mothers-to-be to understand the risks associated with elective induction.

Live Chat with Dr. Bob about Sleep Issues, March 15thJoin Dr. Bob on March 15th at 1:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific) for a live internet chat on solving your baby’s sleep problems. Dr. Bob will go head to head with Dr. Marc Weissbluth (a proponent of "cry it out") as they debate co-sleeping versus sleep training. API's community is encouraged to participate during and after the chat.

Tennessee Babies Injured in Cribs Easily PreventedAccording to the Tennessee Department of Health, more than 1,000 infants have died from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in the past 10 years in Tennessee. James McKenna, PhD, infant-sleep researcher, says many of those deaths could have been prevented - by putting the child's crib in the same room as a sleeping parent.

La Leche League of the Garden State is proud of announce its Annual Area Breastfeeding and Parenting Conference"Breastfeeding Today: An Ancient Art in a Modern World"
April 1 - 3, Crowne Plaza Monroe - Jamesburg, NJFeaturing API Board of Directors member Lu Hanessian, journalist, author, parent educator, Mary Ann Cahill, LLL cofounder, member LLLI Board of Directors, Diane Wiessinger, IBCLC and Diana West, IBCLC, coauthors of The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. Parenting, breastfeeding, and other educational sessions will be offered to families and health-care professionals throughout the weekend.
API is proud to sponsor the "8th Annual Young Child Expo and Conference"April 7 - 8, New York’s Hotel Pennsylvania In one unique event, this conference integrates learning about typically developing children as well as those with special needs, including autism. Early Bird Discounts available for individuals and groups. Make this your professional development day!"Global Summit on Ending Corporal Punishment and Promoting Positive Discipline"June 2 - 4, The Fairmont Hotel - Dallas, Texas Barbara Nicholson and Lysa Parker, API cofounders, will be attending and hosting a poster session at this conference. This conference brings together professionals from multiple disciplines as well as other interested individuals who concur that corporal punishment (CP) of children is an unsuitable and potentially damaging way to resolve conflict with children. Currently, 29 countries have prohibited all CP of children in all settings.

Responding with Sensitivity

A Cry in the DarkMothers who are depressed respond differently to their crying babies than do non-depressed moms. In fact, their reaction, according to brain scans, is much more muted than the robust brain activity in non-depressed moms.

Boy Toddlers Need Extra Help Dealing with Negative Emotions"Young children, especially boys, may need their parents' help working through angry or fearful emotions. If you punish toddlers for their anger and frustration or act as if their fears are silly or shameful, they may internalize those negative emotions, and that may lead to behavior problems as they get older," said Nancy McElwain, a University of Illinois associate professor of human development.

Support Your Community, Your Local Parents, and APIIt's vital that we provide support and education to communities everywhere that have or will be starting a support group in their area (national and international). These support groups rely on funds to remain operational and effective. When you become a member or renew with API you have the option of $15 of your membership dollars going to one of the support groups you designate. Help a support group today by joining or renewing with API. Take a look at our support groups to get started.

Read with Us!

Join Us at API Reads!Have you been reading along with us? Have you joined the conversation on the effects of school, secure attachment, and temperaments on the child and on you? If not, join the conversation! We'll be having an online chat with author Laurie A. Couture this month, check out the chat now and make a note to join in for the author chat too!

Playtime Helps Bind GenerationsA new study has confirmed an old adage: A family that plays together stays together. Researchers examined the ways grandparents can maintain close ties with their adult grandchildren. True to the old maxim, recreation emerged as the glue sealing intergenerational bonds.

6 Ways to Deal Compassionately with Your Troubled TeenParenting with compassion, a perspective that demonstrates how much you care, often yields positive results. Consider trying one of these approaches the next time you're struggling to figure out how to deal with your teen.

Krista Tippett: Reconnecting with CompassionThe term "compassion" - typically reserved for the saintly or the sappy - has fallen out of touch with reality. At a special TEDPrize@UN, journalist Krista Tippett deconstructs the meaning of compassion through several moving stories and proposes a new, more attainable definition for the word.

Report by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

The State of the World's Children 2011:
Adolescence - An Age of OpportunityThis year recognises the right of children to express their views freely on all matters affecting them. The report examines the global state of adolescents; outlines the challenges they face in health, education, protection, and participation; and explores the risks and vulnerabilities of this stage in life. "Adolescence is a pivot point - an opportunity to consolidate the gains we have made in early childhood or risk seeing those gains wiped out," said UNICEF's Executive Director.

Consistent and Loving Care

U.S. Is Decades behind the World on Parental LeaveAccording to a Human Rights Watch report, of 190 countries studied, 178 guaranteed paid leave for new mothers and 9 were unclear about their maternity policies. Just three countries clearly offer no legal guarantee of paid maternity leave - Papua New Guinea, Swaziland, and the United States.

Where Do AP Parents Celebrate Their Children's Successes, Large and Small?Kudos to Kids! Check it out!

Dear Supporter,

This week, at a local API chapter meeting focusing on educational choices and attachment, I had the pleasure of talking about homeschooling. I've been homeschooling my kids (14, 13, and 10) for 6 years now.

While API doesn't advocate a particular education choice for children, homeschooling does lend itself to continuing that ongoing attachment, and it works splendidly for my family.

As a result, I spend a LOT of time around my kids.

One of the moms, whose child is about 4, asked me about being around my kids all day long. Sort of a "how do you handle it?" question.

I flashed back to the early days, when my kids were young and my most luxurious fantasy was about not being interrupted during my 10-minute shower. The days when I was so used to holding my daughter that one time I looked around in panic when I didn't see her - Oh my gosh, where's Sydney? - only to be told (with a smirk) that she was happily bouncing on my hip. The nights when my most out-of-reach dream was of being able to have the edge of the sheet all to myself, which was impossible because I was sandwiched between two blazingly hot kids, one of whom was always nursing.

Those days are gone, leaving behind only a wisp of wistfulness. In their place are days full of interesting discussions of ethics, politics, religion, society, and the world; packed with joy and laughter, with only a hint of teen angst (although with our fair share of hormonal fluctuations); and running over with activity, friendships, learning, and bustle.

I smiled when I was able to tell that mom that it does indeed get easier. Being an AP parent may be difficult at times, when you're wiping vomit off the couch while trying to keep the dog from licking the baby's face and shaking the baby's rattle with your toes to avert a tantrum, as you try not to kneel in the ground-in Cheerios.

I can honestly say that each stage of my children's childhoods has been better than the last. I like my kids more every day, and that's saying something, since I liked them pretty darn well to begin with.

Are the ultimate rewards of all this hard work worth it? Oh yes, most definitely.

This month we have several articles on dealing with family harmony and the teen years. What you do NOW, while your children are young, does make a difference:

- Keep reading for specific things you can do to reconnect with your teen,
- Find out how play keeps the generations linked, and
- Learn how secure attachment today will affect your child's success with a spouse decades from now.

Have fun with your family at an all-inclusive vacation in beautiful Vermont. A great cooperative community, fabulous programming, and delicious vegetarian food.

In Honor of...

In Honor of Baby Sloan
~ Betty Quave

In Honor of Barbara Nicholson
and Lysa Parker
~ Minda Lazarov

In Memory of my parents - General "Tid" and Kathleen Watkins
They provided unconditional love and attachment parenting that are still the foundation of my personal growth and parenting choices.
~ Janet Jendron

We're now carrying these Naomi Aldort CDs and books - in very limited supplies!
The proceeds benefit API.

Babies & Toddlers (2 CD set)

Children's Behavior and Emotions (CD)

Raising Competent Children through Attachment Parenting (4 CD set)

API is proactively engaged with organizations with diverse missions and activities in order
to leverage and expand our work in supporting all parents, children and families to promote secure attachments and strong, positive relationships.